1. Field of the Invention
The present invention pertains to data encryption and data compression. More particularly, this invention relates to simultaneously encrypting and compressing data.
2. Background
Data encryption has been a concern of individuals, businesses, and governments virtually since the development of the written word. More recently, data storage and data transfer over public pathways, such as the Internet, have resulted in an increased desire to be able to store and transfer data without its being recognized by other than a select group. However, ever-advancing computer technology has resulted in modern computer systems which are able to decrypt or "crack" codes and encryption schemes with increasing speed. Thus, secure encryption has become increasingly difficult.
Additionally, as the world has entered the "information age", an additional need which has arisen is that of data compression. Vast amounts of information are being stored and transferred daily. However, storage devices and communications paths in particular have not been able to keep up with the storage and transfer requirements of users. Thus, using various compression techniques, the data is stored in a smaller storage device or transferred in a shorter amount of time than uncompressed data.
However, one problem which exists with current compression and encryption methods is that of speed. Each additional processing step which is taken, such as compression and/or encryption, requires additional processing time by a computer system. Thus, additional time is required for the desired storage or data transfer to occur.
Thus, what is needed is an improved way to compress and encrypt data.